Johnson,
Lawrence (Lawrie) Alexander Sidney (1925 - 1997)

Born in Cheltenham, New South Wales, on 26 June 1925, died in Sydney, New South
Wales, on 1 August 1997.

L.A.S. (Lawrie) Johnson (1925-1997) was an Australian taxonomic botanist
notable for his studies of the eucalypts (Eucalyptus, Angophora
and Corymbia), cycads, Juncaceae, Oleaceae, Restionaceae and phylogenetic
studies of Myrtaceae, Myrtales and Proteaceae. His career was at the Royal
Botanic Gardens Sydney, as Botanist (1948-72), Director (1972-85) and Honorary
Research Associate (1986-97). During his directorship the Royal Botanic Gardens
saw major developments of satellite gardens, education programmes and broadening
of the scientific programmes. Alone or with colleagues, he distinguished and
described four new plant families and many genera and species, as well as
reclassifying further taxa. He contributed to the theory of systematics, especially
by a comprehensive critique of the philosophy of extreme empiricism advocated
by the early numerical taxonomists. The hypotheses of relationships developed
through his phylogenetic studies have served as starting points for much further
investigation by others using new approaches, especially through DNA sequencing.

Lawrie Johnson was a taxonomic botanist notable for the outstanding breadth
of his interests and expertise, the rigour of his scientific approach, and
the intensity with which he defended scientific conclusions and opinions.
His major contributions came through broad synthesis so that systematic studies
were integrated with evolutionary and ecological considerations. In a field
often characterized by solitary workers, his investigations mostly involved
colleagues, and he encouraged them to share his wide-ranging outlook while
he also relied on their efforts. With colleagues he tackled many large plant
groups, often delimiting taxa and resolving questions of relationships far
beyond the extent that could be published in his lifetime: jointly authored
publications continued to appear for some years after his death, since Ken
Hill, Karen Wilson and Barbara Briggs acknowledged that he had a substantial
role in work still being finalized by all of them.

Johnson's achievements were recognized by many awards, to an extent remarkable
fora scientist in the field of systematic botany and attached to one institution,
the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, for the whole of his professional career,
as Botanist (1948-72), Director (1972-85) and Honorary Research Associate
(1986-97).

Since Johnson was well known for his strongly held views, passionately expressed,
it was in character that, when he knew that he was terminally ill, he prepared
the statement to be read at his funeral (part of which is reproduced below).
It sums up much of his life, with characteristic messages for those who heard
it:

"I have never been inclined to follow convention, and therefore will
not be silent even at my own funeral. The first thing I have to say is in
all sincerity to express my thanks for many opportunities to lead a satisfying
life which, though not as long as I would have hoped, has been long enough
for me to feel very fairly treated. These opportunities began with my deeply
respected and loved parents, Sid and Emily Johnson, and my two sisters Valerie
and Nancy. Teachers, especially my science teachers at school, Mr Clark
and Mr Roberts, enabled me to perceive clearly in adolescence the absurdity
of all forms of superstition and fanciful belief. They were followed at
the University of Sydney by some outstanding teachers at that level, especially
Eric Ashby (later Lord Ashby) and Sir Rutherford Robertson. These men showed
me that botany was indeed a science, and I abandoned my first love, chemistry,
to follow botany, although in a field very different from those of Ashby
and Rutherford [Robertson]."